Sources of Antioxidants: Common Household Foods

Antioxidants – no doubt you’ve heard of them. Why are they good for you? First, a little background: our environment is constantly bombarding us with oxidants through various sources such as sun exposure, pollution, alcohol and unhealthy foods. These oxidants are also known as free radicals and they attack healthy body cells, leading to several undesireable results – among them earlier aging, cataracts, heart disease and various forms of cancer.

Enter antioxidants. These molecules lessen the effects of free radicals by attaching themselves to the free radicals, thus reducing their harmful effects.

So, since antioxidants play such an important role in maintaining good health, how can you get more of them into your body?

Antioxidant Food Sources

Many foods contain antioxidants. Among the best sources are

vegetables

fruits

grain cereals

eggs

meat

legumes

nuts

It’s important to remember that many of the antioxidants in these foods can be destroyed by overcooking, so eat the foods in as natural a state as possible. Generally, the more processed a food is, the less antioxidants it will contain.

Fruit Sources of Antioxidants

Fruits are some of your best bets for antioxidant-rich foods. Specifically,

blackberries

raspberries

strawberries

oranges

blueberries

pineapple

plums

grapefruit

tangerines

clementines

cherries

kiwi

peaches

pears

apricots

cantaloupe

apples

bananas

honeydew

watermelon

All these are excellent sources of antioxidants. Each of them is high in the antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin E or beta carotene.

For the most antioxidant “punch,” eat the fruits fresh and uncooked. It’s recommended to eat at least 2 servings of these fruits daily, including at least one citrus variety.

Other Common Household Food Sources

Don’t despair if you don’t love fruits and vegetables. Other common household foods are good sources of antioxidants as well. Try adding cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds and chicken to your diet – these are high in vitamin A and selenium (another antioxidant).

Various types of seafood (mackerel, salmon, shellfish and tuna specifically) are high in antioxidants selenium and vitamin C.

So, you can see that many common household foods are excellent antioxidant sources. It’s important to eat a variety of these foods as this provides a more effective array of antioxidants than you would get from simply eating a large quantity of one of these foods. Antioxidant concentration also tends to be higher in the outer layers of foods, so eat the skins of these foods when possible.

By making wise food choices, you can greatly increase your antioxidant intake and thereby take an important step towards improving your health.

About 3FC

3FC began as a personal source of diet support for sisters Suzanne, Jennifer, and Amy in 1997. The site has grown considerably based on the feedback of the many visitors and sister chicks that found us and decided to call the website home.

The website was acquired by Internet Brands in 2010 and continues to provide the most supportive free weight loss community online!